Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli sat down for an interview on Sirius NFL Radio with Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan. Marinelli discusses some of the thought process behind the Lions' picks, and talks about how he's hoping to utilize the players.

Q: Are you tired from the draft process?

RM: We're just getting ready to roll.

Q: You got a rookie mini-camp this weekend?

RM: Yeah, we've got a rookie minicamp. Rookies and some other young men. Let's us evaluate the players, and check out the guys in a team environment.

Q: We really liked Gosder Cherilus. One of the reasons is that he played against some good defensive ends and, every one of them said about the same thing: Once he gets his hands on you, it's a wrap.

RM: Yeah, his hands are big. Wow. This guy is a really big, physical man. And he's got a real nasty streak in him. A real tough competitor. He's got the athleticism to be a left tackle, but at right tackle, he's just a real tough, physical guy. He's a humble guy. He's going to come in here and work.

Q: The trade with Kansas City was interesting. You really just moved down two spots to take your guy. You must have had confidence they weren't after the same guy you were.

RM: We felt that they were going after the Virginia kid (offensive lineman Brandon Alberts). It was really, probably one of the key things in the entire draft for us because it allowed us to move up in the third round to get the man we wanted.

Q: Some have said Jordon Dizon was a reach. How does he fit into your defense? Talk about his skill set.

RM: We want to look at him at the Mike position, and also as the nickel Mike because he's really good in space. He's also got the ability to play the Sam backer. But we really want to see him inside. His instincts are great. He sees something and goes. Our philosophy in the draft was to err on the side of production with our picks.

Q: A reader wrote in about seeing you at the Combine, and how, after a radio interview, you took the time to talk with he and his kids, and took a picture with them. He said it left a huge impression on him and his kids – how, even if someone as busy as the Detroit Lions' head coach can take time to give other respect, they should to.

RM: It's just important in our league. We've talked about it before. Respecting our game. Respecting our position. Respecting people. And it's nothing more than that.

Q: I heard Dizon had an I.V. at almost every game.

RM: I think he goes fast. *laughs* You sit in a room with him, and he just lights the room up with his energy and love for the game. Guys like that just always play well.

Q: Speaking of production, Kevin Smith was one heckuva productive running back at Central Florida.

RM: We really targeted him early, especially Jim Coletto. One thing we really liked about this guy is that he's very decisive when he makes his cuts. And he breaks tackles. You gotta be able to break tackles in this league. He's very physical. We're exciting about him.

Q: If Dizon becomes the every-down Mike, how would you like to see the strong-side linebacker competition shake out?

RM: Well, you got Paris (Lenon). Paris has been there, too. He can play Sam. You got a guy like Alex Lewis going into that thing. So we can really upgrade, or if Jordon has to play Sam, we can do that too.

Q: How does Rod Marinelli stop and look at Jordon Dizon during this rookie mini-camp?

RM: First, we'll want to see how he processes information, taking things from the classroom to the field. And he's seemed like a quick study so far. Then introducing him to all our little patterns and drills – just playing Cover 2, and how you open up is different for these guys. The instincts, the awareness, the feel. We look at that. I think he's going to be excellent in coverage. He's got to learn the run fits. We know how his tempo's gonna be.

Q: Talk about defensive tackle Andre Fluellen, from Florida State.

RM: He's got that natural get-off, where, you go to the Combine and look at the 40s and 10s ... for a defensive tackle, that doesn't tell the story. Certain guys can react to movement, the feel. He'll be off the ball, I'm tellin you, he's going to be half a step ahead of everybody. And he's not guessing. Warren Sapp, had the same feel. See some of the good ones they have that feel. That's the stuff you can't get at the Combine. You gotta see it on tape. I went down and worked him out. You can feel it. He's got that knack. A great motor. And he's really bright. Extremely bright guy. He fits perfectly.

Q: How's Ikaika Alama-Francis' development?

RM: He's having a really great off-season. He's about 280 pounds right now. And you know he can really run. He's in really good shape. He looks fabulous. Now it's just working each and every day to get the skill level up. Last year, he was hitting in practice. And we were just getting ready to go, get him going, and he pulled a hamstring. And that set him back three or four weeks. You know some guys, just when you start to get into habit, then you can't do anything, then you have to restart the engine again. But he's a willing football player. He'll do anything you ask him to do. He tries, he lifts. You get a player like that, and you know he'll be a special player.

Q: We thought Cliff Avril would have a lot of interest from teams who run a 3-4 defense. You're a 4-3 defense. How does he fit in for you?

RM: He's got that 4.57 speed; he's got really long arms; I think he's close to 35 inches in reach, and he's 6'3", 252. When we took him, we felt like he could have an impact on third downs immediately. Where, if you give him a chance, if he earns it, he could be a third-down rusher for us. He could have a nice role and be nice special teams guy for us. What I try to do is, all rushers, is try to cut their rushes up. So you could see, the reason we're gonna draft this guy is, Can he rush?

Q: When you watched him transfer from speed to power, what was your reaction to him?

RM: Well, he doesn't know how to do it yet. He's going to learn different techniques to do that.

Q: How are you guys handling the quarterback situation?

RM: He's our guy. He's coming in, he's the guy. We love his leadership and all those things, but we got two young guys. It's Kit's job, though. He could be the dominant quarterback in our division this year. But we're going to do some things to be more successful on the ground this year. Once we're able to do that, we can get some impact plays with the passing game. We're counting on his leadership and getting us into the end zone more than any other thing.

Q: I had the priviledge of sitting down with Caleb Campbell. He's your captain!

RM: Yeah, isn't he something? And if you watch him at the safety position, he'll just drop in the box and you see his instincts. And he's a big man.

Q: Is there a chance that he gets some time at the Will, or in your scheme, the Sam?

RM: He's gonna be bright. I know that. But we'll take a look at him at the Will and the Sam position. And a guy like that gives you someone who can play the safety position, just for depth. All of a sudden you get an injury back there, you have a guy on the team to step in. He's a heckuva football player. This guy can tackle; he's got awareness. he's got really good speed. Now we move him into the front seven, and the speed really becomes a factor. So we're excited to have him.